Public Service Loan Forgiveness Report

In spring 2014, the Board of Directors of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) convened a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Task Force, comprised a geographically diverse group of financial aid professionals from all types of postsecondary institutions, to develop recommendations for improvement and to strengthen the PSLF program. In June the NASFAA Board accepted and endorsed the recommendations provided by the task force, detailed in this final report.

Background, PSLF Program

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was established in 2007 to encourage student borrowers to work in the public sector. Qualifying borrowers may have their Direct Loans forgiven after 10 years of full-time service in an eligible job. Currently, qualifying employers include federal, state, or local government agencies and tax-exempt 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations.

NASFAA PSLF Task Force Guiding Principles

The guiding principles of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Task Force included a thorough review of the forgiveness program with special attention to:

• Promoting fairness and equity for students across all sectors of postsecondary education• Promoting accountability• Encouraging simplicity• Providing schools with flexibility to respond to the specific needs of students• Promoting the use of technology wherever possible, and• Supporting recommendations with research and data analysis wherever possible